Sunday, 3 June 2012

Conjunctivitis in Rabbits

Conjunctivitis in rabbits is a common occurrence. All that matter is how you treat it. The type of conjunctivitis of which is caused by a virus, is well known as the name 'pink eye'. That is because it looks like a 'pink eye' due to the symptoms.

This causes a bunnies eye to produce a watery discharge which can occasionally come out as pus as well. It is very clear weather or not your bunny has this. If they do they will have noticeable watery eyes and it will look almost like they are crying with this discharge possibly running down to their nose.

A way to describe it also, is that it is an inflammation of the tissue around their eye's.

some causes of the conjunctivitis in rabbits could be from some sort of upper respiratory infection such as snuffles. This is because their eyes, nose and mouth are in such a small range of each other which can easily cause infections on other parts of the body.

A bunnies tear ducts can easily become blocked so you have to be careful with what you do, also making sure that you bunny stays healthy. Younger bunnies are more at risk as they are more open to infection. So you will want to keep your bunny in a clean environment which is less of a risk for infection.

Here are some signs to look out for for conjunctivitis in rabbits:

the eye(s) are bulging

a swollen eyelid

the area around the eye appears red

hair loss around the eye

a clear discharge produced from the eye

tear stains on their cheek (looks like they are crying almost

The eye could be swollen shut

How to get rid of it:

They will need to be treated by a veterinarian and you will most likely be prescribed for some eye drops which will help reduce the swelling. IF you think that your bunny may have this, its best to go and visit your local vets to see what it is and they can tell you weather it is caused by bacterial or viral. Also, they will know what will help your bunny to be more relaxed and comfortable whilst they still have it. They will be able to prescribe you to some antibiotics (if necessary).

Here are some rabbit products which I thought you may like. Have a look if your interested: